OK so I never intended to spend my life working with children. Yes I did the childcare degree in the UK but that was because I wanted to travel. I thought if I got that degree I could become a nanny which was a great way to travel the world for cheap, and I was right…it was. And then when I came to the USA and my children were born, I wanted them with me so working as a preschool teacher was a win win…But I NEVER expected it would become my career…But it did…And the funny thing is, I was really good at it. I moved up from being Assistant, to Teacher, to Lead Teacher, to Assistant Director, to Director, and I really enjoyed it.

But do you know what I did not enjoy, do you know what really really p##*@ed me off the most? It was the fact that what I did was seen by society as not very valuable, I mean I can only draw that conclusion as we here in the USA value things with a dollar amount, and as the dollar amount placed on me was $7 to $9 an hour, what other conclusion can I draw?

Part of my job as Lead Teacher was to teach children to read. Now I may be a bit naive but I think that this is THE most important job on the planet, I mean think about it…. If children cannot read, there will be no doctors, no lawyers, no scientist, no teachers or professors, no….., well, you get the picture.

I really don’t understand it, as a licensed family daycare provider, I saw parents wince when I told them my cost for taking care of their child for a week from 7am to 6pm was $150.00 (this worked out at $3.75 an hour) And yet these same parents don’t think anything of paying much much more for other services..Here are some examples…..

Piano tuner. $70 an hour

Dog grooming $70 to $90 an hour

Computer hard drive install $199.00

Plumber $150 an hour

So why is anything related to children valued so low? This speaks to our Public School Teachers also but that is another post. These days many qualifications are required to be a preschool teacher and yet the pay remains low .

But you know what, that is really not what bothers me the most, even though I truly think we should be paying these people much much more. No, what bothers me the most is when I open my MSN news and the first thing I see is that Derek Jeter just signed a new contract with the Yankees for…wait for it….$51 million !!!! Yes you read it correct $51 million for 3 years

So based on this, I can only draw the conclusion that this is what we consider valuable…..

Teaching a child to read…………………………………………………………………….. $51 thousand over 3 years

Throwing a ball, catching a ball, hitting a ball, running in a circle………………. $51 million over 3 years

Seriously, I have to ask..what is wrong with this picture? Why is it that we place so little value in the care and education of what is obviously our most important “resource” for the future and yet so much on our ‘entertainment”

What needs to be done for this to change? What can WE as individuals do to let society know that this is unacceptable and that we HAVE to invest more money in both early childhood and our Public education system and NOT be making the damaging cuts that are happening right now all over the country. But more important, how can we, as a society start placing less emphasis on movie stars, rock stars, people in sports and stop idolizing them.

And not being outraged when someone gets paid $5 million per episode for starring in a show about nothing!

When I was a kid I was really scared of all my teachers. I would never in a million years have disrespected them or talked back. I would never have cursed at them, shouted at them, laughed at them (unless they were telling a joke) ignored them, rolled my eyes at them, tutted at them, snickered at them, or any of the other disrespectful things that kids today seem to have no problem doing to their teachers. But one important thing to note is that while I was indeed scared of my teachers, this was not the reason I did not do any of those things. The reason was that I RESPECTED them! What has happened to that respect? Is it just that kids of today are “different”? Is it that the teachers are “different”? What has changed? Why can a parent now go to a principal and say’ Take my child out of Mr XXXXXs class..there is a clash of personality. WHAT IS THAT? A clash of personality? Are you kidding me? This is your child’s teacher! not his buddy. How can a teacher be blamed for a child who..never brings a pencil to class, never does his homework, is sleeping in class, is not listening, refuses to participate and then asks to be moved to another class because of a clash in personality?

Yes I understand that sometimes teachers and students don’t get along but do you think that is a new thing? Did all my teacher love me? I don’t think so. But this was my teacher and like him or not. I was there to learn from him. and even though I might not have “liked ” him, I DID respect him, so I was not disrespectful, I listened and I learned

Is it because children today just have less respect for adults generally? If so, who or what is to blame for that? Sometimes when I overhear the TV when my daughter is watching, I cringe at the way adults are portrayed and “stupid” while the cool kid mocks and insults him. I always try to use this as an opportunity to talk to my daughter about it and thankfully she is very respectful to her teacher (most of the time) Is it the the music they listen to? Alice Cooper sang about blowing up schools and Pink Floyd told us “We don’t need no education” but it did not make me not want to go to school or to be disrespectful . So what has changed? Why do today’s kids have so little respect for their teachers.? Well here’s a thought… Our Government puts more and more emphasis on test scores and less and less on teacher experience and what they actually bring to the classroom. Teachers are poorly paid and many have not had a pay raise in years, and more and more, teachers are expected to be the only disciplinarian in some of these kids lives, Every day on the TV we see stories of more teacher being fired because their kids did not make gains on the tests… So my question is this….what is all of that teaching our children? How on earth can we expect our children to show their teachers respect when we as a society do not?

We need to get behind our teachers and not allow these children to have so much power. We need to let our Government know that while there are “bad” teachers out there who need to be weaned out and replaced, making teachers solely responsible for the childrens test results and basing their continued employment on these results is just unacceptable. Teachers need to be able to teach and not just “teach to the test” Until we allow our teachers to do this and to show them the respect they deserve, how can we expect anything different from our children? What is your opinion on this subject? if you believe teachers are getting a raw deal these days, then call your local representative and let them know you want teachers to be respected and allowed to teach. . Vote against any bill that makes teacher pay and job security solely based on test results. It is time to give America’s teachers the respect they truly deserve for all their dedication and hard work.

If you have never heard the Cat Stevens song titled “Where do the children play” check it out on You tube. It’s a great song. However, that’s not what I am wondering. Perhaps I should have titled this “Why don’t the children play” Because that is really what I am wondering.

Children no longer go outside to play, Kids have “play dates” the parent gets to choose who little Blake gets to socialize with and make the appropriate arrangements, Gone are the days of hide and go seek, kick the can and tag with all the local kids. But kids can still sink a basketball or score a home run in front of the tv using the Wii remote, so I guess it’s OK!

Schools dropped “recess or as we used to call in in England “Playtime” My lunchtime lasted 90 minutes. Now they get 20 minutes at 10 30 am to eat a chicken nugget and fries lunch . I guess “the powers that be” must think that socializing, stretching the body, running, playing, laughing, talking, solving disputes with friends, kicking or catching a ball, or simply relaxing are just not that important.

Of course they still have PE in schools! Well what I mean to say is that they still have PE teachers who take the 50 or so kids they have in each class into the gym to do jumping jacks and run on the spot.

So as the nation faces an overwhelming number of overweight children and children with diabetes, and even heart problems, And as we continue to invest millions into endless studies and “Think Tanks” on how to fix this ever growing problem, I have to wonder if perhaps this problem might be fixed by simply getting the kids playing outside again.

What do you think? Should the schools do more to help our children be more physically active? Should recess be reinstated? I think it should, If you agree then get involved. Call your congressman and or state representative, call the school board, GET ACTIVE! your kids will follow in your footsteps and get active too

So while the schools get money based on their FCAT scores, the kids no longer learn about art, music, and theater. I would like to say at least they are learning about writing, reading and mathematics, but that is not even true. The only thing these kid are learning these days is “How to pass the test! I can’t tell you how many times I have heard the phrase “teach to the test”

It is beyond my comprehension how a school that offers no music, no art, no theater, no chorus, and no languages can still be rated an “A” school. And as for the way they are treating the teachers in all of this nonsense…well that is a whole other topic

Studies show that involvement in the arts triggers the right side of the brain used in problem solving, visual-spatial abilities, self-criticism, developing social skills and how to learn from mistakes. And for many children, art classes allow them to express themselves & feel unique and appreciated which they may not get from regular math and science classes.

Art and music classes offer much more than the ability to paint a landscape or recognize a Mozart symphony. Learning experts insist that education in the arts ensures an enriched cultural appetite stronger analytical skills, higher achievement in other subjects and – down the road – greater success in the workplace.

And yes while reading and writing is very important and we need to continue to instill that in our kids, To quote Richard Dreyfuss from the movie Mr Holland’s Opus, “Well, I guess you can cut the arts as much as you want, Sooner or later, these kids aren’t going to have anything to read or write about”